Grants available to help Appalachian Trail

Have an idea for a project that will benefit the Appalachian Trail but have limited funds to make it happen? Apply for an Appalachian Trail Special License Tag Grant through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The deadline is Jan. 10, 2014.

The Appalachian Trail Special License Tag Grant program is funded by the sale and renewal of North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plates as part of the North Carolina Friends of the Appalachian Trail specialty license tag program authorized by the NC General Assembly. Revenue generated through this program is used to benefit the Appalachian Trail and its environs in North Carolina. ATC will award $35,000 in grants during 2014 from these revenues. Grant requests cannot exceed $5,000 and applicants must provide matching funds in cash, labor and/or in-kind services.

The goals of the grant program are to help the ATC fulfill its mission for the portions of the Appalachian Trail located within the state of North Carolina and along its common border with Tennessee. ATC’s mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail, ensuring that its natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed for centuries to come. This means a wide range of grant proposals can be considered, but in all proposals the applicant must show how implementing the proposal will benefit the portions of the trail within North Carolina and along its border with Tennessee, with grant funds spent within North Carolina. For more information about the grant program, visit www.appalachiantrail.org/donate/more-ways-to-donate/specialty-license-plate.